Context
In 1997, the academies undertook a master planning process to examine the current and emerging needs of both campuses and to define the capital projects that would be required to adequately address those needs. The academies have two campuses, located within a mile from each other in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Academy for the Blind is presently located in a collection of five buildings constructed over the last six years. The Academy for the Deaf is located in several historically significant buildings constructed around open landscaped area acting as the heart of the Academy. A walkthrough assessment of all buildings on both campuses revealed a number of deficiencies, recorded by the design team members on a spatial data inventory form prepared to graphically highlight the major issues.

Process
An evaluation procedure has been implemented consisting of staff interviews and assessment of major spaces of all buildings in the two campuses. A three day participatory workshop at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind was conducted where students were involved in an open ended discussion, describing their likes and dislikes. The commented on about their needs for a place of their own to hold meetings and to socialize. They noted inadequate study places in the dorm and the poor arrangement of rooms. They also noted the lack of weather-protected connections between buildings. All these were cited as hardship for blind students. The same procedures have been implemented in the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. Thirty students met with the design team and commented on the lack of privacy in the dorms, the lack of professional programs tailored to their needs. They also noted that the inadequacy of the gymnasium and the lack of a swimming pool as a limitation to the development of their personal skills.

Strategic Plan
Two campus plans were developed to group functionally related areas, to allow for expansion of growth areas and to improve pedestrian and vehicular access and movement around the campus. The plan considers phasing the development and includes renovation and additions of all the existing buildings. Through a series of five renovation and expansion projects the campus of the Academy for the Blind will have the needed functions including education, vocational training, physical fitness, residential life administration and maintenance. The plan developed for the Academy of the Deaf focused primarily on expanding opportunities for vocational training by updating technology and introducing new contemporary programs in photography, printing, and auto maintenance. For both campuses, site improvements were envisioned to include modifications to the existing drive way and ameliorations in safety crossings.